Butler VA hosts ‘walk to remember’ for Suicide Prevention Month
CENTER TWP — To mark National Suicide Prevention Month, the VA Butler Healthcare System hosted its third annual Walk to Remember at Abie Abraham Health Care Center on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
According to statistics released by Veteran Affairs, there were 6,407 suicides among U.S. veterans, or an average of 17.6 per day, in 2022 — the most recent year for which data is available.
“There are tons of times where you might need a little more help than you realize, so it’s better to do it sooner than later,” said Wolfgang Tallon, who was there to volunteer on behalf of virtual mental health provider Charlie Health. Tallon served five years with the U.S. Navy. “I think it’s OK to be skeptical about things, but it’s also good to get outside of your comfort zone and see what resources are available to you.”
The route of the remembrance walk took veterans and their families around the facility, after Butler VA chaplain Katie McCullough recited the poem “Finding Hope in the Broken” by Erin Hanson.
Before and after the walk, numerous vendors set up on the lawn outside to advertise and offer their mental health, suicide prevention and other services, such as free gun locks.
One of those vendors was “Journey on the Fly,” a fly-fishing guide service which also offers fishing trips for veterans by working with the organization Cross The Divide.
“The outdoors and fly-fishing are incredible therapy,” said Adam Korman, owner of Journey on the Fly and Pennsylvania coordinator for Cross the Divide. “When you’re fly-fishing, you don’t have a whole lot of time to think about bad stuff. It gives you an opportunity to really slow down and appreciate what’s around you, and it builds a little bit of hope.”
For veterans dealing with a mental health crisis, Samantha McCandless, the community engagement and partnership coordinator for the Butler VA, recommends calling the 988 Crisis Line and then dialing 1, the specific option for veterans.
The Butler VA also offers year-round suicide prevention training for family members of veterans who may be in crisis, as well as free gun locks to prevent potential suicide attempts.
“The layperson might not know what to look for or what to do,” McCandless said. “The VA supplies specific training for the community for that, for free. And the gun locks are also free.”
